DMT, abbreviation of Dimethyltryptamine, powerful, naturally occurring hallucinogenic compound structurally related to the drugLSD (lysergic acid diethylamide). DMT blocks the action of serotonin (a transmitter of nerve impulses) in brain tissue. It is inactive when taken by mouth and produces effects only when injected, sniffed, or smoked. The hallucinatory action begins about five minutes after administration by injection and lasts for about an hour. Naturally formed DMT has been found in the body fluids of persons suffering from schizophrenia. It also has been synthesized chemically. DMT is contained in cohoba, the hallucinogenic snuff made from the seeds of Piptadenia peregrina and used by the Indians of Trinidad and the Llanos in northern South America at the time of early Spanish explorations.

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a chemical substance that is derived from the amino acid tryptophan. It occurs in the brain, intestinal tissue, blood platelets, and mast cells and is a constituent of many venoms, including wasp venom and toad venom. Serotonin is a potent vasoconstrictor and functions as a neurotransmitter. It is...

hallucinogenic snuff made from the seeds of a tropical American tree (Piptadenia peregrina) and used by Indians of the Caribbean and South America at the time of early Spanish explorations. DMT (N,N -dimethyltryptamine) and bufotenine are thought to have been the active principles. Cohoba was...